Click here to listen to the mp3 advert for The Salvation Army's anti-human trafficking message

Click here to watch the footage taken by News24 at the Long Walk for Rhino's Mandela Day initiative at Robben Island School. (QVC donated Media Liaison to this initiative as part of its Mandela Day initiatives)

 Quo Vadis Communications on a field trip to KwaZulu Natal for client, Siyazisiza Trust.

Victoria Makalima, assistant Director for the Johnson and Johnson Burn Treatment Centre (left) and Roger Crawford, Executive Director, Worldwide Government Affairs and Policy for Johnson & Johnson (back right) happily assisted Nurse Ester Manson and clinical officer William Kalua from Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi throughout their two-week specialised training session at the Burn Treatment Centre at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. The training took place as a result of a public private partnership between the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Johnson & Johnson, and the University of North Carolina in USA. The hospital in Malawi recently opened a burn unit and the hands-on training Ester and William received at the leading burn treatment centre in Africa, will no doubt make a huge difference in the lives of those in need.

With the effectiveness of the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and the National Development Agency (NDA) being questioned yet again this month, a groundbreaking report on the funding practices of these bodies will be released this coming Wednesday (30 March 2011) in Cape Town.

The report, titled Meeting their Mandates? The Research Report on the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and the National Development Agency (NDA) is the result of a year-long research project commissioned by the Funding Practice Alliance (FPA) into the funding practices of the National Development Agency (NDA) and the distribution by the National Lotteries Board (NLB) of moneys held in the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).

Speaking on behalf of the FPA, James Taylor said that the first research project focuses on whether the NLB and the NDA are meeting their mandates with regard to civil society organisations (CSOs) and grantmaking as defined in law.

“The report looks at the extent to which these agencies are realising their potential to address South Africa’s development challenges,” said Taylor.

“The research project was initiated from a position of ongoing concern over a period of years about the impact of the funding practices of these bodies on the many organisations reliant on their grants,” he said. “It expresses the opinions and experiences of grant-seeking civil society organisations as well as the views of members of the NLB, its distributing agencies and former NDA Board members.”

Taylor says that civil society plays a critical role in an effective democracy, and for this sector to be more effective, the quality of the relationship between state funding agencies - such as the NDA and NLB - and the non-profit development sector, must improve. 

“This relationship is not just about money and compliance, but is also fundamentally about effective collaboration between organisations and funding agencies for the benefit of marginalised citizens.” 

The main aim of the research was to gather rigorous qualitative and quantitative data on the bodies so that CSOs can formulate strategic actions informed by sound research and analysis.

The Report will be presented by a panel of representatives of the FPA partner organisations and there will be time for questions and discussion on the report. Joining the FPA at its report launch will be the Coalition on Civil Society Resource Mobilisation which will present its own report, “Funding Civil Society for Social Change - A Critique” to the audience.

The FPA comprises four civil society organisations – the Social Change Assistance Trust (SCAT), Rural Education Assistance Programme (REAP), Community Development Resource Association (CDRA) and Inyathelo-The South African Institute for Advancement.

For more information on the launch and report, contact Janine Ogle on 021 465 6981/2 or email

janine@inyathelo.org.za.

Last changed: Mar 29 2011 at 7:45 AM